Report: Cord caused fatal Chelmsford fire

By Grant Welker, gwelker@lowellsun.com

Updated:
01/18/2013 06:36:35 AM EST

CHELMSFORD -- The fire that killed a married couple at Woodcrest Condominiums on Jan. 5 was likely caused by an extension cord underneath a foldout couch in the couple's unit, the state fire marshal's office said Thursday.

Damage from the fire was so severe that investigators were not able to determine exactly what started the fire, such as whether the cord was frayed, pinched or had been defective, said Jennifer Mieth, a spokesman for the fire marshal's office.

"Sadly, this fire took two lives and forever altered so many others," Chelmsford Fire Chief Michael Curran said in a statement. "Fires move incredibly fast, and the foam in our furniture and plastics in our homes give off toxic fumes that give us a short window to respond to the smoke alarm and use our escape plan."

The late-night fire also injured a 7-year-old boy, who his being treated at a Boston hospital, the fire marshal's office said. The office did not have a medical condition for the boy, whose name has not been released. The couple killed was Susan Astle, 67, and Paul DesLauriers, 77.

All 21 apartments in the building were destroyed, leaving 31 people displaced.

The Woodcrest Condominiums building on Littleton Road, which was demolished this week, was not required to have sprinklers because it was grandfathered into pre-existing laws when the complex was built, between 1979 and 1983. Such a building, if built today, would be required to have sprinklers, fire officials have said.

Newton state Rep.

Advertisement

Ruth Balser filed legislation this week that would require one- and two-family homes to be equipped with sprinklers if cities or towns voted the law into place. The proposal has been supported by state Fire Marshal Stephen Coan and the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts.

The Chelmsford fire was one of three fatal fires that weekend in Massachusetts in which four people were killed.

"These tragedies underscore the value of fire sprinklers which could have altered the outcome of each one," Coan said in a statement. "No one thinks fire will happen to them, but practicing good fire prevention is key to reducing the chance it might."

The investigation into the fire was conducted by state police officials assigned to the fire marshal's office and to the Middlesex district attorney's office, along with members of the Chelmsford fire and police departments and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.